Rotary holster mounting



July 19, 1966 M. L. HORNE ROTARY HOLSTER MOUNTING INVEN'JLOR.

Filed June 11, 1965 United States Patent 3,261,519 ROTARY HOLSTER MOUNTING Merl L. Home, 307 N. J, Lompoc, Calif. Filed June 11, 1965, Ser. No. 463,108 Claims. (Cl. 224-2) This invention relates to a rotary holster mounting for carrying guns in normal pendant positions and in out-ofthe-way positions.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a more eflicient and practical device of the kind indicated, which is composed of a minimum number of uncomplicated, more easily assembled, and mechanically more reliable parts.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character indicated above, which is advantageously devoid of external, exposed parts, such as releasing or looking catches or buttons.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a device of the invention, shown mounting a holster to a waistbelt;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1; 9

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section, on the scale of FIG- URE 2, taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2, showing the parts of the mounting in normal positions;

FIGURE 4 is a view, like FIGURE 3, showing the parts in rotated positions;

FIGURE 5, is an exploded perspective view of the parts of the mounting; and

FIGURE 6 is an elevation showing the holster, and a pistol contained therein, in normal pendant position, in 1full lines, and in a forwardly-rotataed position, in phantom mes.

Referring in detail to the drawings, B designates a waistbelt, which could be instead, a shoulder harness or other body-worn support, having a pendant flap 10, to the outer side of which a holster H is mounted by means of a mounting M of the present invention. It will be understood that the pistol holster H could be replaced by a rifle holster, or other holster-type device, within the scope of the present invention; and that any such holsters could be mounted on the belt B, in the absence of a flap 10.

The mounting M comprises a rigid, vertically-elongated base plate 12, which is disposed between the two plies 14 and 16, of the inner wall 18 of the holster H, and extends to the upper end of the wall 18. The base plate 12 is secured in place, as by means of sewing 20, surrounding the same and traversing the plies 14 and 16. The inner ply 14 is formed with a circular opening 22.

A stub shaft 24 has an enlarged diameter flat head 26, on its inner end, which is spacedly and concentrically positioned in the outer ply opening 22, and is suitably and fixedly secured to the outer side of the base plate 12. The stub shaft 24 has a shank which has a smooth inner portion 28 and a threaded outer end 30. A radial keyway 32 is formed in the smooth portion 28.

A spacer washer 34 is circumposed on the smooth shank portion 28 and bears against the outer side of the head 26.

Similar spaced inner and outer, preferably rectangular guide plates 36, 38 are rotatably circumposed on the smooth portion 28 of the stub shaft shank, and are formed with similar registered, upwardly and rearwardly-angled guide slots 40, 42, respectively. The guide plates 36, 38 are spaced by a detent plate 44, preferably of the same size and shape as the guide plates 36, 38, and preferably thicker than the guide plates. The guide plates 36, 38 and the detent plate 44 are secured together, and to the belt flap 10, as by means of rivets 46, traversing the corners of the plates, and the flap 10.

The detent plate 44 is formed with a relatively large opening, offset toward the rear edge thereof, which has a straight perpendicular rear edge 48, and parallel spaced upper and lower straight edges 50, 52, which are normal to the rear edge 48.

The upper edge of the detent plate opening terminates, at its forward end, in a downwardly and forwardly-curved concave edge portion 54, which extends down to the rear rounded end 56 of the upper edge 58 of a forwardlydeclining detent slot 60, formed in the detent plate 44 forwardly of its opening.

The detent slot 60 has a lower edge 62, which parallels its upper edge 58, and the lower edge 62 extends upwardly and rearwardly, in the plate 44, beyond the rear end 56 of the slot edge 58, and defines a stop shoulder 64. The shoulder 64 is formed with a downwardly and rearwardlyangled edge portion 66.

A mutilated circular disc 68 is formed with an axial opening 70, which closely receives the smooth portion 28 of the stub shaft 24, between the guide plates 36, 38. The disc opening 70 is formed with a radial keyway 72, which is registered with the keyway 32 of the stub shaft 24, which receives a key 74, which locks the disc 68 against rotation on the stub shaft 24. The stub shaft extends through and works in the guide slots 40, 42 of the guide plates 36, 38.

The disc 68 is formed with a radial detent finger 76, which slides endwise in the detent slot 60 at the detent plate 44. The finger 76 has a relatively short upper edge 78 and a longer lower edge 80, the latter being of substantially the same length as the lower edge 62 of the detent slot 60. The peripheral edge of the disc 68 is cutaway and flattened, as indicated at 82, at the outer end of the lower edge 80 of the finger 76, so that in the normal position of the parts of the mounting M, the edge portion 82 of the disc bears conformably against the edge portion 66 of the shoulder 64, as shown in FIGURE 3.

Intermediate the ends of the lower edge 52 of the detent plate opening, a forwardly-inclined slot 84 is formed in which is securably engaged the lower end of an upstanding leaf spring 86, which bears forwardly against the peripheral edge 88 of the disc 68, so that the detent finger is urged toward and into the detent slot 60, as shown in FIGURE 3, so that the holster H is positively held in its norm-a1 pend-ant position.

The above-described parts are assembled, by means of a washer 88, circurnposed on the threaded end 30 of the stub shaft 24, a lock washer 90 and a nut 94 threaded on the threaded shank portion 30.

In operation, when it is desired, as the wearer of the belt and holster seats himself, as in an automobile, to move the holster to an out-of-the-way position, the wearer simply grasps the holster and pulls the same rearwardly and upwardly to unlock the holster by moving the detent finger 76 out of the detent slot 60 against the resistance of the spring 86. The holster can then be freely rotated forwardly and upwardly to the desired out-of-the-way position.

The smooth transit of the detent finger 76 out of the detent slot, onto the arcuate edge 54, is facilitated by the rounding, indicated at 94, of the forward upper edge of the detent finger.

It is to be noted that, because of the relatively great length of the arcuate edge 54, relative to the width of the detent finger 76, the holster H can be given a wide range of upwardly and rearw'ardly rotated positions at the convenience of the wearer thereof.

Return of the holster H and locking thereof, in its normal pendant position, is accomplished simply by pushing the holster downwardly and rearwardly, until the detent finger 76 engages the shoulder 64, and is lined up with the detent slot 60, wherein the spring 86 acts to push the detent finger 76 forwardly into the slot 60.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a holster, a-stub shaft fixed to and extending laterally from the holster, a support, guide means fixed to the support, said guide means being rotatably traversed by the stub shaft, said guide means being formed with angled guide slot means through which the stub shaft slides, a lateral detent finger fixed on the stub shaft, detent means on said guide means comprising detent slot means in which the detent finger is normally engaged, and spring means urging the detent finger into the detent slot means.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said detent means comprises a concave arcuate edge on which the detent finger is adapted to bear as the detent finger is withdrawn from the detent slot means against the resistance of said spring means as the holster is rotated relative to the support.

3. In combination, a supp-ort, guide means fixed to the support, a holster, a stub shaft fixed to and extending later-ally from the holster and traversing said guide means, said guide means 'being formed with angled guide slot means through which said stub shaft is slidably engaged, means securing the stub shaft against endwise movement relative to the guide means, detent means fixed relative to the guide means, said detent means being formed with detent slot means substantially lined up with said guide slot means and extending at one side of the stub shaft, said stub shaft having radial detent finger means fixed thereon, and spring means on said detent means yieldably urging the detent finger means endwise into the detent slot means.

4. The combination of claim 3, wherein said detent means is formed with a concave arcuate edge at one side of said detent slot means with which the end of the detent finger means is adapted to be slidably engaged, as the holster is manually moved, relative to the support, and the detent finger means is withdrawn from the de- 5. A holster, a support, a mounting secured to the holster and the support, said mounting comprising a stub shaft fixed to and extending laterally from the holster, spaced guide plates formed with angled guide slots through which the stub shaft is rotatably and slidably engaged, means fixing the guide plates to the support, a detent plate fixed between the guide plates, said detent plate being formed with an opening exposing said guide slots and passing the stub shaft, an edge of said detent plate opening being formed with a detent slot normally aligned with said guide slots, said edge having a concave arcuate portion meeting one side of the detent slot, a lateral detent finger fixed on said stub shaft between the guide plates, said detent finger being normally engaged endwise in said detent slot, spring means fixed to the detent plate and operably engaged with the stub shaft and yieldably urging the detent finger into the detent slot, said holster being rotatable and movable laterally to withdraw the detent finger from the detent slot against the resistance of said spring means and engage the detent finger with the concave arcuate edge portion of said edge of the detent pl-ate opening, and means preventing endwise movement of the stub shaft relative to the guide plates.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,960,790 11/1960 Pullen 224-2 X 3,117,708 1/1964 Goldman 224-2 3,168,972 2/1965 Parlante et al. 224-2 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

F. WERNER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A HOLSTER, A STUB SHAFT FIXED TO AND EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM THE HOLSTER, A SUPPORT, GUIDE MEANS FIXED TO THE SUPPORT, SAID GUIDE MEANS BEING ROTATABLY TRAVERSED BY THE SUB SHAFT, SAID GUIDE MEANS BEING FORMED WITH ANGLED GUIDE SLOT MEANS THROUGH WHICH THE STUB SHAFT SLIDES, A LATERAL DETENT FINGER FIXED ON THE STUB SHAFT, DETENT MEANS ON SAID GUIDE MEANS COMPRISING DETENT SLOT MEANS IN WHICH THE DETENT FINGER IS NORMALLY ENGAGED, AND SPRING MEANS URGING THE DETENT FINGER INTO THE DETENT SLOT MEANS. 